SÃO PAULO, Brazil – The board of directors of JBS S.A. unanimously elected Gilberto Tomazoni to the role of Global CEO effective immediately. Most recently, Tomazoni served as the company’s chief operating officer.

Tomazoni has been an executive at JBS since 2013. He previously served as chairman of Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. and CEO of JBS Foods, Brazil’s chicken and processed-food unit before assuming the COO role.

“I am grateful for the confidence placed in me by José Batista Sobrinho and the board of directors,” Tomazoni said. “Together with an outstanding team of 230,000 employees around the world, I will be dedicated to consolidating JBS as a global food company, recognized for its unique business model and the quality, safety and innovation of its products and brands.

“My commitment is with our company’s reputation and the integrity of our relationships,” he said, “and, through a relentless attention to transparency, governance and compliance I want JBS to become a global benchmark.”

Tomazoni succeeds José Batista Sobrinho who founded JBS in 1953. Sobrinho was the first president of JBS and remains a member of the company’s board of directors.

“I am very pleased that Tomazoni is my successor,” Sobrinho said. “He lives the company’s culture and has a deep knowledge of our business worldwide. As chief operating officer, he led JBS operations with great success and, from now on, will lead the company in a new phase of its development.”